Netflix’s “Disenchantment” leaves audiences wanting more than over-played jokes and overused, predictable storylines.
The adult animation, created by Matt Groening, tells a tale of Bean, a teenage princess in medieval times. It goes through her drunken, mischievous adventures with a small elf, Elfo, and her own acclaimed, fun-size demon named Luci.
The series’ storyline is not the only thing that is set in the past. The dry-humored jokes are definitely worn out and the scripted awkward silences did not get filled with the laughter that the producers may have hoped for.
Bean, the village of Dreamland’s princess, is rebellious and usually does the opposite of what her father tells her to do. She doesn’t want to be the village’s princess because it means carrying the responsibility that she didn’t ask for. Most of the show is hearing Bean complain about her duties and how miserable she feels despite being a princess, even though she could have a worse life.
Elfo comes from a magical fairy land of elves where everyone is always cheerful and happy and makes endless candy for all the elves to eat. It’s a place where anyone would love to go, besides Elfo, who wants a change of feelings. For Elfo, there is more to life than being merry and joyful. He wants to feel other emotions. He wants to understand what being sad, angry and miserable entails and there’s a whole other world of feelings that he isn’t experiencing.
One day, Elfo decides that he’s had enough and he leaves his magical kingdom. When he leaves, he finds himself in the village of Dreamland where he befriends Bean.
Elfo seems to become Bean’s “angel on her shoulder” as he always tells Bean what she should and shouldn’t do. Elfo’s and Luci’s personalities contrast as Luci is seen as Bean’s “devil on her shoulder.”
Luci is a snarky demon that steers Bean into mischief. Just like the devil is usually supposed to do, Luci encourages Bean to do whatever she wants, especially things that she’ll get in trouble for, like stealing her stepmother’s drugs for recreational use.
One aspect of the series that viewers do like is Bean’s individuality.
Bean is her own person who wants to do things that make her happy. Despite someday being able to run her own kingdom, she follows her heart in a quest to take the path to her own dreams or destiny.
While other people may call this selfish, it shows how inspirational Bean’s character is. She goes the path less taken and understands that being a princess just is not something she can or wants to do.
Nonetheless, the comedy as a whole veers off from humorous even through its motivational life lessons.
Of course, it is best to watch the series yourself to see if Bean’s adventures are really worth the time. “Disenchantment” is available for streaming now on Netflix.
By Cammie Dutchess, Staff Writer
jonesdca17@bonaventure.edu
